Lulu does not accept Pages files. But I just used a fantastic new free service. Zamzar. I tested it to make sure it works perfectly and there are no catches.

They ask for your email so they can send you the download link. If they start spamming, you can just put them in your spam folder, block them or unsubscribe. But they look professional and I appreciate their service.

Here at Lulu, we're working on finding and connecting new ways for authors to sell their books. Everyone knows about Amazon and such, but a lot of independent creators use specialized eCommerce tools to sell. Think Etsy.

We've created a quick (1 question!) Survey Monkey poll to see what platforms our authors use (if any).

I thought it would be helpful if we posted helpful/useful marketing and promotional tips here. And maybe we can get this thread "stickied".

Okay. Here's my first. If you're having trouble marketing/promoting your book to US bookstores pull a "Jimi Hendrix" (Hendrix couldn't get a record deal in US and had to go to UK to get a record deal) and try marketing/promoting your book to european and asian bookstores. I've recently started doing that to surprisingly good success. Here is a site/link to a Bookstore guide of european bookstores that have reviews of the bookstores, website links and, best of all, email links which you can use to send promotional material about your book:

Just copy/paste that list to your promo email. But Bertrams and Gardners are europes biggest distributors so they might be all you need to list.

Tip within a tip. I publish children's books and comicbooks/graphic novels. If this is you look to Begium bookstores to promote to. Belgium is known as "the land of the comic strip" and I've found them quite open. For children's book authors in specific look to a bookstore named "The Treasure Trove". It's owners are VERY nice. one of them (Jane) emailed me the very same day I emailed her about "Chevalier" saying that they'd ordered copies and were looking forward to getting it because they think it'll do well in their store. Can't beat that with a stick.

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If you selected a traceable shipping method during check out, you will be provided with a tracking number once your order finishes printing and ships. Packages with tracking numbers are scanned at each checkpoint on their journey, allowing the packages to be tracked as they move through the shipper's system to their destination. If an issue arises with a package, the location is readily identified and makes the chances of recovery more likely.

Please note: It can take an estimated 24 hours for tracking information to appear on the carrier's site after the tracking number has been assigned to the package.

How can I track my Order?

Orders submitted while logged into a Lulu account can be viewed on your My Orders page. To view your order, log in to your Lulu.com account, click on My Projects, and select My Account & Orders.

On the Orders page, select the order you would like to track and click “View Order Details.”

You will now see detailed information about your order, including a tracking number if a traceable shipping method was chosen. Clicking the tracking number in either location will open the order’s tracking details.

The tracking link will open in a new browser tab and will provide detailed information about the order.

Is my shipping method traceable?

If you do not see a tracking number associated with your order, or the number is not displayed as a link, the tracking is unavailable. Some shipping methods to certain locales will not be traceable.

Note: Non-traceable shipping methods will be marked as such in the cart during check out. If a shipping method indicates that tracking is not allowed, your order will not have a tracking number.

What are Delivery Confirmation Numbers?

Some shippers only offer Delivery Confirmation numbers. Delivery Confirmation gives the date, zip code and the time the package was delivered. If delivery was attempted, the date and time of attempted delivery will be given. There is no capability to determine where your package is at a given time in its movement to you. Packages with Delivery Confirmation do not get scanned at each checkpoint on their journey like a tracking number, making it impossible to locate a package that may have gone astray.

What if my tracking link does not work?

Sometimes technology isn’t perfect. Some shipping methods to certain locales will cause the tracking information to either display incorrectly or not function properly.

In most cases, the order can be tracked directly through the shipper’s tracking page. Note the Shipper on the order details (listed under Status and the “Shipped on” lines) or the region your order shipped from, as well as the track number.